Alice of Nightmaren Sacrifice
by MonoShuga
Summary: 5 Nightmaren find themselves called to a strange world different from their own where they get trapped. Will they be able to escape or will they be stuck in the strange wonderland?
1. Chapter 1

**Alice of Nightmaren Sacrifice**

* * *

 **Chapter I – A normal day**

The Sun shone bright as it's soft light warmed up all of that was the Land of Nightopia. The grass danced to the rhythm of the wind, and the little Nightopians opened their little house's windows. Yes... Another peaceful morning in the land of dreams... No cloud was in the sky, no dreamers were around, and no Nightmaren were to be seen. Nightopians were shy creatures, and they rarely, almost never left their little homes if someone was around.

Experience had taught them that some of the dreamers weren't as gentle and kind as they appeared to be, and that Nightmaren should be avoided as much as possible. Not that all of them were bad, but it was better not to take any risks, all those Nightopians knew that some Nightmaren really enjoyed eating Nightopian meat for breakfast…

At that time, all of the Nightopians were outside their homes, doing their daily chores while playing cheerfully, until suddenly one of their biggest fears appeared… An actual Nightmaren.

The Nightopians panicked while they rushed back to their homes, although, this Nightmaren had no plans of attacking any defenseless Nightopians, she simply passed by, ignoring the squeals of the screaming creatures and their existence alone.

She was a female nightmaren, with dark tan skin, fiery orange eyes, and a sandy blonde hair almost as long as her body. Her clothes had a style that remembered the ancient Egypt style, as her hands, feet and chest were covered in old looking bandages. She wore white, almost grey pants with a golden belt and her brown Nightmaren hat was rotten at it's only tip where her hair was flowing freely. Her name was Ramel, though she was called many other names by those who knew her well. She wasn't an anti-social but she had the temper of someone who woke up in a really, really bad mood.

In the mornings on Nightopia, Ramel always enjoyed taking a walk alone by the forest. Everything was calm until those annoying Nightopians started making all noise, which was something that she seriously hated.

Actually, everything worked to annoy her, a feature that other Nightmaren thought to be rather... Interesting. After walking a little, she stopped and rested under a large tree whose branches danced freely... "Peace and quiet" or so she thought.

A few minutes passed by, and Ramel noticed a strange sound repeating itself over and over again, something that sounded like giggling. At first she ignored it, but it quickly got on her nerves, she got up and glared at the side. Apparently it came from the bushes.

"Stupid Nightopians" She thought "They're so loud in the morning..."

As soon as she got to the bush, the thing that was bothering her apparently was…Nothing at all! Or at least, the thing wasn't there anymore… Maybe someone was playing a prank on her... Unacceptable! Another bush behind her started to shake, followed by the sound of more giggling. She rushed to the bush, moving it to the side and behind it there was a little Nightmaren girl, she just looked at the elder and smiled.

\- Hi! – She said cheerfully

She was about the size of a very young visitor, her skin was a really pale blue, like a ghost, her hair was long and pitch black, and her big round eyes were blood red. All she wore was a long pure white dress with sleeves longer than her own arms, nothing was covering her feet, and her horns resembled the shape of a bow on the back of her head.

Ramel sighed - Darah, what are you doing here? –

The young Nightmaren smiled innocently – I saw you taking a nap under that tree, so I decided to play a little with you! - She curiously covered her mouth with her hand - Actually... I have something to tell you. Do you want to hear it? –

Ramel frowned – Darah, please, I'm not in the mood for you right now. - This made the younger Nightmaren pout a bit.

\- No? -

\- No! You know I never trusted you before! And you know exactly why.

\- All I wanted was to show you a special place that I found… -The young Nightmaren smiled sadistically as her head slowly tilted to the side.

The mummy looked curious at her and sighed. - What place is even that? –

Ramel always knew, by experience, that every time Darah invited others to any "special" place, it meant that she was up to no good. Ramel never trusted the little girl's appearance, even if she looked harmless in the outside, she was an unconscious backstabber on the inside.

\- What place? – She repeated and felt that once again her curiosity was going to get the best of her but she couldn't avoid listening to the girl's soft voice.

\- Well…- Darah continued with a smile – It's an imaginary place, a dreamland inside another dreamland, but you don't want to go so…-

\- Is it dangerous? Or do you just want to get trouble?-

\- I don't know… I've never been there before…-

Ramel glared at her- And I assume you want some company to test your idiotic murdering games.

\- This is a different game… Destiny has called for you. - She let out a short giggle, sort of like a hiccup.

\- Very funny. - Ramel groaned - I'll go see your stupid place then! To see whatever "destiny" has in store for me!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II – The door**

They both walked through the forest, Darah floated almost like an elegant spirit, occasionally pausing to dance around some trees while humming some song and Ramel walked behind her, mumbling some words to herself, with complaints containing expressions such as "Waste of time" and "I should have stayed home"

The trees grew larger and started to become closer to each other, covering the calming morning light that became less and less visible as they walked deeper into the forest. Certain memories wandered on Ramel's mind and she quickly realized that they were in the Memory Forest, or a darker version of it. Ramel wasn't afraid of the forest, but of what could be in it. Not all Nightmaren were jester looking, some looked like big ferocious animals, while others resembled small innocent creatures who could be deadly, like Darah for example.

Ramel wondered how was the ghost girl so calm and fearless. It was like she had been in that same forest more than a million times, not caring about the strange sounds that followed them. Ramel was brave, but even she would be afraid of face that forest on her own.

They walked for what seemed to be hours and the younger Nightmaren suddenly stopped walking and mumbled.

\- It's here... I have found it.

Right there, in the middle of the forest, there was a door, it was a tall wooden door just standing there, nothing in front of it, nothing behind it, just a door. Ramel lifted a non visible eyebrow and looked at it.

\- What's this? – She asked

\- It's a door. -

\- Yes I can see that. You made me come here, all this way, just to see a door?

\- No but… - Darah mumbled but was quickly interrupted by Ramel

\- That's it! I'm tired of your little games! I'm going back to Nightopia right now! –

She looked around her, the trees looked the same, and so did the paths. There was no light or Sun, this uncomfortable atmosphere made Ramel confused, and forget where she came from or where to go back, she even forgot how to fly! She was lost… No doubt of that.

-Well this is just great! – She said – Where do I go from here?! I'm lost and this is all thanks to you, Darah!

The little ghost girl remained neutral and mumbled – Me? What did I do?

\- You brought me to this place just to see a door!

\- This is the door that leads to the other dream world…

\- That's impossible! Those kinds of doors only exist in the Dream Gate! They aren't allowed anywhere else!

\- Oh but you must believe me! Just open it. - The little girl smiled sweetly

\- It's NOT going to work! Even if it did, why would I open it?! - She walked closer to the girl, grabbing her collar - It's part of plan, isn't it?

\- Oh pretty please? - She giggled and looked up

\- No!

\- Just a peek?

\- No means no!

\- How do you plan on leaving this forest then? You'll be lost forever.

\- I will find my way!

\- Aren't you curious about the door?

\- Negative!

\- Not even a little?

\- NO!

\- So stubborn... Fine. I will go alone…

She walked to the door, opened and entered it, quickly disappearing on the other side, just like a door from the Dream Gate. Ramel stared at the door, dumbfounded. "How the heck is that possible?!" she thought. Curiosity got her; she walked towards the door, unconscious, and entered it.

A whole different world was in there, not a dark, scary, mysterious world like the forest she was just on. It was a huge garden, full of white roses who slowly became red when she approached them. She was so distracted with them that she didn't even notice Darah and the door disappearing behind her. It took her some seconds to notice she was alone, where did that manipulative ghost girl walked to? Where did the door go? Where should she go from there? There had to be a way out of that weird garden, not to mention that whole world all together. Luckily, sitting on rock, there was a Nightmaren, he was silent and motionless and he looked extremely familiar. He had the appearance of a teen Nightmaren. He was dark skinned and had dark brown hair, though he only had his left horn, that was a light grayish teal color, while the other one was missing, leaving an awkward hole on the back of his head covered with hair. He had his chest covered in bandages and only wore short black pants. He had both of his eyes covered with a white bandage, and his right arm was covered in bandages, like it was hurt, despise the fact that he held a long staff in his hands. Ramel got close to him and waved, getting no reaction from him. Maybe he was sleeping?

\- Iron...? What are you doing here? - She asked, making him gasp a bit scared and quickly pointed his staff at her.

\- I...Ron...? Who's that? - Ramel backed away slowly and sighed.

\- I apologize. I probably mistook you for a Nightmaren I know…

The boy got up, still pointing the staff at her, she noticed he walked barefoot - What's your business in here? - He asked coldly.

\- Well, where do I start? I was forced to come here by a ghost girl who just disappeared while I was looking at those roses. Perhaps you saw her pass by?

He lifted a non visible eyebrow and frowned - I can't see. That's extremely offensive.

\- Oh. - She stared at the side. That answered one of the many questions that flew around her head. - Basically, I'm just lost. I'm not from... This world actually.

He looked surprised at her and put down his staff - Alice...?

\- No, it's Ramel.

He smiled softly - This was probably a big misunderstood! That... Iron of yours... Is he my alternate?

\- What is even an alternate?

\- I wish to go straight to the point, but you must be really confused right now!

\- I'm used to it.

He stared confused at her but shook his head - Right! - He stood silent for a few seconds and faced her - Did the roses change, dear Alice Remal? - He had a soft voice, accompanied by a soft texan accent.

\- It's Rah-Mel. Ramel. - She stared at the roses once again - They went to pure white to blood red.

He grinned widely - Oh finally you have arrived! - He held her hands tightly - We've been waiting for so long!

Ramel pulled her hands away from him and continued - You have the wrong Nightmaren, I'm sorry.

\- Oh but you must be her! The red Alice of the Spade! My name's Aeron and welcome to the Mirror World! The subconscious of the Nightmaren mind!

\- Mirror World? Subconscious? Alice? Hum, no. Sorry, Aeron, but you are mistaking me for someone else. I'm not Alice.

\- The red Alice of the spade… You're the red Alice!

\- I don't care about that now! - She looked around - The door I used to come here just disappeared and… I don't know where I should go to leave.

He pointed to the right, and she just wondered how he knew which side was which. Maybe she just wasn't used to see blind Nightmaren on her daily basis.

\- Maybe you could visit the village…The Nightmaren who live there seem to be nice, just a bit crazy, thought but they seem to dislike me, I don't know why…

\- Yes... I wonder why... - She rolled her eyes

-You can ask for help but I strongly advice you to stay!

\- May I ask why?

\- Just go.

\- Okay…See you later Iron... Aeron?

\- You wish.

He smiled darkly, why would he want her to stay? Something was not right. She walked to the village, maybe she would be accepted…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III – Strange village**

So the Nightmaren in the village were supposed to be nice... They glared at Ramel as she walked by. She felt unwanted in their little town. Didn't they ever heard of newcomers? The village had little houses, shops and restaurants with a bit everything.

Elders stared suspiciously at her while children would stop their tagging games to walk away from where she passed. These things didn't bother her though. She just walked to some shops, yet no one would be willing listen to her questions and complaints, ignoring her presence completely.

She walked out of another shop and a certain place caught her attention. It was a shop just like all the others, yet it seemed abandoned, compared to all the other shops that would seem inviting if their keepers were kind enough to look at you in the eye when you asked for something. Ramel shrugged and walked towards it, noticing a sign that said "…in tre...ment... ...p" as most of the letters were blurred out. Ramel sighed, knocked on the door and walked inside.

There was a small corridor with a really dim light and she felt a strange smell, as if there was something dead in there with a mix of blood and mold. She reached for the wall with her hand and gasped, quickly regretting it. The walls were actually covered in the skins of various creatures, such as Earth creatures like wolves or tigers and actual dream creatures like animal Nightmaren or actual humanoid Nightmaren like her

Ramel backed away but felt something or... someone behind her, she stared back and a girl stood motionless while smiling insanely at her. She appeared to be a teen with dark grey skin and golden hair that was dirty with some dry blood. Her horns curved to the side then up and her eyes had a dark violet colour. She wore a sleeveless dress and shoes, both handmade with the same kind of skins that hanged on the walls. Thought a most distinguishable feature was in her arms where several large sewing needles pierced through the her skin. The girl let out a childish giggle and stared wide eyed at Ramel.

\- Y-YOU L-LIKE IT? - She asked loudly, startling Ramel

\- It's horrible... - She mumbled

\- WHAT WAS THAT?

\- It looks fine! I was just passing by and I have to go now.

\- I DIDN'T QUITE CATCH THAT... - She walked closer to Ramel and frowned

\- IT LOOKS FINE!

\- IT'S HARD TO LISTEN TO YOU! - She pouted - Literally. I'M DEAF!

Ramel stared at the side, feeling disgusted. This was the first Nightmaren that spoke to her and of all the things she had to be, she was deaf. She groaned some words to herself and looked at the grinning girl. She had to know something that could help her! It wouldn't hurt to try.

Taking a deep breath, Ramel looked at the girl - HELLO, I AM NOT FROM THIS TOWN NOR THIS UNIVERSE, BUT I NEED TO GO BACK! A BOY KEPT CALLING ME ALICE BUT HE IS MISTAKING ME FOR SOMEONE ELSE. I NEED TO GO BACK TO MY WORLD! DO YOU KNOW HOW I CAN DO THAT?

The girl stared at her with a cheeky smile and grinned - ALICE?

\- I AM NOT ALICE!

The girl giggled and jumped happy - IT'S ABOUT TIME! THE PROPHECIES ARE BECOMING TRUE! You're Remilia's alternate, right?

\- I don't know who that is. - She said, confused

-YOUR MIRROR! Too bad, I'm going to miss her though.

\- What do you mean?

\- YOU KNOW! We die when our alternates die! I hope my alternate is an Alice! I'm TIRED of being around!

\- I might be familiar with your... "alternate"... Her name is Zelly... You seem similar an-

\- I KNOW WHAT HER NAME IS! - She grabbed two large needles and started stabbing the skins that were hanging on the wall - I want her to DIE! DIE! DIE!

\- ... Why would you want that?

\- Being a Mirror is the worst thing ever, you know?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH BULLCRAP I HAVE TO TAKE FROM HER MIND?! SO MUCH PRIDE! SHE REFUSES TO DENY HER FLAWS! Then boom... She's suddenly crying alone in her room for whatever stupid reason she has... TOO MUCH EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS FOR ME! I JUST RANDOMLY START CRYING AND I'M LIKE "WOO SHE'S AT IT AGAIN!"

\- I'm... Sorry for that?

\- NO NEED TO BE SORRY, ALICE!

\- MY NAME. IS. RAMEL! NOT ALICE! RAMEL!

\- AND I'M ZELA! NICE TO MEET YOU! - She grabbed Ramel's arms and rubbed them - Your skin is so soft... How do you do that?!

\- … I have to leave! Me being some Alice is just a coincidence! - She pulled her arms away - Do you know how can I leave this world?

\- Why would you want to leave? - Zela grinned widely

\- I actually have a life, unlike you pieces of the conscious.

The girl gasped - AS MUCH AS I FIND THAT TO BE OFFENSIVE - She stabbed a needle on the wall and stared into a void with dull eyes - You have a point.

\- I'm glad we have an agreement.

Zela stood silent for some seconds then stared at Ramel with the same dull eyes - But you can't leave. You can enter but once you're in, you'll never be able to leave. EVER. AGAIN! - She grabbed her needles and quickly threw them at Ramel who quickly dodged them in a swift move as they hit the entrance door. - YOU HAVE TO DIE TOO! DIE! - The girl shouted

The mummy girl gasped scared, and ran away from the place, she noticed the shop's title probably said something like "Skin Treatment Shop", which made no sense to her at all unless it meant that the girl was going to skin her alive. Zela quickly opened her door and stared maniacally at her - YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T ESCAPE YOUR DESTINY, ALICE RAMEL!

Some inhabitants of the village stared at Ramel but she didn't reply to the insane girl and proceeded to walk away, some Nightmaren stared terrified at her while others held some weapons in case the so dangerous Alice Nightmaren would come to attack them.

She ignored them and continued exploring the small village, and just like before, the inhabitants stared maliciously at the mummy looking maren, something just wasn't right… Ramel started to think that maybe she really was a problem in that world, everyone she talked to seemed to be satisfied by the fact that she was some "Alice" so why did everyone look so down on her? She didn't even ask to enter that world in the first place, nor did she? As soon as she got back that ghost girl was going to get it!

As she passed by, she felt like that the Nightmaren were trying to kill her only by using their stare. Ramel started to freak out when the Nightmaren started to get in bigger groups, holding swords and torches. She quickly went from walking to running. And at that same time, the groups started to run after her. Luckily, more than half of them were Earth Nightmaren, which meant that they couldn't fly, but she could! She flew to a dark yet colorful forest that stood on the other side of the village. All the Nightmaren from the group stopped like they didn't want to get any closer to that mysterious forest, leaving Ramel a bit confused.

An Elder Nightmaren, whose appearance resembled the one of a chief got in front of the group and shouted:

\- Let her go! She won't ever come back from that cursed forest…No one can! DISAPPEAR FROM OUR VILLAGE, RED ALICE! DON'T YOU EVER COME BACK OR WE WILL KILL YOU!

The group cheered and Ramel looked around. Wait… She couldn't leave the forest!? How was that even possible? She just got there and the village was right in front of her! She tried to walk back to try to explain everything, but her face hit what seemed to be an invisible wall of some sort, separating the forest from the village, and that seriously meant no good! Why did she had to accept the ghost girl's invitation in the first place? Curse that curiosity of hers! Ramel didn't have that much time to think about complaining, after all, she did had to find a way to not only leave that forest, but to also come back to her original world, but she just couldn't help feeling mad. Groaning, she proceeded to walk into the forest. Where else could she go?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV – Forest of wonders**

Ramel walked on a path through that mysterious forest on her own. All in it was screaming "Twisted Wonderland" as some of the trees bent in the strangest ways and their leaves were coloured in the most peculiar colours while the trunks had either polka dot or plaid patterns on them. The grass was in bright green and pink colours and the forest had some sort of a light red fog, worsening the atmosphere. It was dark, and Ramel felt alone. Yet she was brave and knew how to control herself when trouble and stress came to her. The most important thing was not to freak out. She looked around herself, noticing nothing but the twisted trees surrounding her and the bright orange paths leading to various directions. She kept on walking and suddenly a fast beam of light in the distance quickly caught her attention. She stared at where it came from while wondering what it was and pouted, as the unusual light was nowhere to be seen. She kept on walking and the light appeared at least three more times until when she occasionally stopped, she noticed it was the reflection of something bright.

Confused, Ramel wondered if it was really worth it to follow her imagination and curiousity again, since the last million times worked in nothing but trouble. Well, she couldn't get into any more trouble than she already was, now could she? It didn't matter to her. She silently went to check on the light, hiding behind some trees. Who knew if that wasn't a trap for the dangerous Alice Nightmaren?

She looked over a bush and gasped when she saw her sword craved in a rock, more specifically, an Arabian Sabre Sword, with a brown handle and a silver blade, which was what reflected

the bright lights that mocked her eyes, catching a light it caught in a small space between the tree's branches. Next to the sword there was a small envelope, coloured in a pale red almost pink colour and a red symbol of a red spade on it. Ramel picked it up and opened, only to be greeted with a small piece of paper only with "To 1st Alice" handwritten in a blood red colour in it. Ramel turned the paper to check the back but there was nothing in it, it was certainly disappointing but she couldn't really care less...

If that wasn't her sword, then it had to be an exact copy of it! She went to grab the handle but let out a painful scream as she felt a burning pain in her right hand the moment she touched it. Ramel had nothing but bones and rotten skin in her arms and hands but the pain was just too much for her to bare. She quickly removed the bandages, only to find a red spade symbol on the back of her hand... Or what was left of it. Almost as if it had been branded on her hand with the hottest of metals. The symbol still let out some steam, painfully stinging what was left of her nerves.

Ramel pressed her hand against her chest, with the hope that the stinging would stop, which it did some minutes later. Ramel noticed the envolope with the letter moving a bit as a small breeze blew through the forest. Ramel held it and noticed the first letter she had picked had changed a bit. On the back of it, a new message appeared, written in the same blood red colour.

"Now it's time."

Ramel stood silent "Time for what?" she thought. She stared back at the sword, feeling that it was silently calling out for her, taunting her lack of courage and her ways in life. She tried so hard to ignore it, but her will was out of her reach. Once again, she grabbed the sword, and took it off the large rock where it had been stabbed on. The pain on her hand was no longer felt, being replaced with a burst of energy that spread all around her body, she felt stronger, more powerful, more... Alive.

A wide grin covered her face and in a quick movement, she sliced the tough rock that had imprisoned her beloved sword in two. She laughed loudly and insanely. Oh, such was the joy that this had brought to her! She thought of visiting her beloved village friends, she bet that they would be DYING to see her once again! She laughed childishly, which could be considered something unexpected to see on a grown adult Nightmaren like her, not to mention just a bit scary.

Now to find her way back... She longed to see pain and agony in those who wished her dead, but as much as she smashed those trees that mocked her with their colours and patterns, she couldn't seem to find her way back. Groaning, red with rage, she stabbed her sword in one of the trees and shouted mad when it got stuck on it's green and yellow trunk.

Ramel tried to pull it out, not noticing the thorny lianas that slowly wrapped around her legs, slow but steady. She felt a strange sensation on her legs, and as soon as she noticed the plants, she quickly tried to shake them off with her feet while still trying to pull out her sword. But it as no use in either ways. The plants went all the way up to her hips and more plants appeared to grab her arms. Her stubbornness was what doomed her when she insisted on continuing to try to pull her sword out as the plants quickly got control of her arms, her legs and her torso. She struggled to escape but it was pointless as she could barely move, similar to a fly when it gets stuck on a spider's web. Her arms tried once again to reach

for the sword, but the thorns stabbed her and pierced through her skin, filling it with cuts. And before she noticed it, the plants were turning her upside down and she gasped. There was no way that she would end like that!

She strongly shook her body, but that only made the thorny plants rip and pierce her skin even more. A strange thick green liquid followed by a strong smell started coming out of the plants... Ramel was experienced in medicine and quickly recognized the strange liquid as being poison. She felt numb, which was to be expected. That poison wouldn't kill her, it would only make her fall unconscious while the plants would feed on her body's proteins. She struggled no more, her eyes slowly closed and her body stopped moving.

She moaned something as she slowly fell asleep and the plants covered her face…

The red Alice was gone, nowhere to be seen and never to be remembered ever again…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V - Disappearance of a beloved one**

Few knew that the timeline in the Mirror World wasn't always synchronized with the time in the Night Dimension.  
Ramel, the first Alice, had remained missing ever since she had gone to the twisted wonderland. Some in that world thought that she had beenlost for good, perhaps she had found her way into another different village, or maybe she just grew tired and fell into a long slumber. Yet the Mummy girl remained stuck in the poisonous vines of a large plant, slowly being possessed by the rage that consumed her mind, feeding the damned plant that held her, head upside down, with her sandy hair falling to the ground.  
Her almost lifeless trembling hand tried to grab the sword still stuck on the trunk, holding tightly onto it, remaining motionless. Maybe it wasn't over yet for her...  
A few hours had passed ever since Ramel had ventured into the cursed land, yet, she did not know that back in her own world, the hours she took were in fact,  
days. 5 long days, specially for Scath, a Shadow Nightmaren around the same age of her, with dark cobalt blue skin, two tall horns covered with a Nightmaren hat of an even darker shade of blue, wearing long cyan coloured gloves and boots. In contrast with all of these dark colours, his eyes with in a bright golden colour.  
However, few did know that these weren't his real eyes. Being a lower class Shadow Nightmaren, he shared his body with Shadow, a Spirit Shadow Nightmaren, of an higher class. For survival, the Spirit Shadows, also known as higher class Shadow Nightmaren, had to find a Lower Shadow, so they could unite and live as one. The host took care of the body while the little Parasite gave them the shadow abilities, such as bending shapes, merging with walls and controlling others' shadows. It was a really old ritual of their kind.  
Shadow would only make himself visible when his and Scath's powers were functioning, having the appearance of a melting dark blue spirit with two horns similar to Scath's and bright gold coloured eyes.  
It was unknown the fact for why was Scath living with Ramel, or why she let him in. Since almost everyone knew of his crush for her, thanks to embarrassing attitudes that Shadow made him have. Being a genderless, he knew that him and Ramel could never be, but he couldn't help loving her. Her sudden disappearance made him stressed, even worse when Shadow mentally mocked his crush and despair.  
Scath knew Ramel wouldn't ever be late from her walks, she was too rigid with her time and organization. Every once in a while he'd go out to ask others if they'd seen her, but never came the day when he got a positive answer from them. She just HAD to be somewhere! She wouldn't want to run away from home without a good reason, now would she? Maybe she would have left a letter or anything of the sort, but her room showed no signs of it, no matter how much he searched around her things. She knew how much she hated him doing that, but this was a special case!  
More long days passed by, or were they weeks? There was no hope that she would be back now, but maybe... Just maybe... If he went to ask others  
again... Maybe they would have seen her...? He stepped out of the house, walking for a bit, failing to feel his heavy body collapsing on the ground, everything turning dark for a while. _"You're exhausting yourself again..."_ said a mumbling voice on his mind, chuckling a bit. Scath groaned a bit, and tried to get up.  
\- Shadow now is NOT the time! - Scath said angrily, ignoring the fact that in someone else's point of view, it would appear that he was talking to himself.  
 _"Oh, but it's always time for something!"_ the voice said happily. Oh, how much he loved to mess with his body's mind! His stress was just too amusing to ignore like that!  
\- I don't have time for your stupid mind games now! I ha-  
 _"Don't you EVER get tired of asking the same things over and over again to the same maren every single day?"_ Shadow grumbled, interrupting him _"They're probably tired by now! You're going nowhere like this!"_  
\- You don't know! Just leave me alone!  
 _"Pfft. You're no fun. And the fact that the answer had always been in front of you, is what entertains me the most! You're so pathetic!"_  
Scath sighed as his mind spoke - If you've nothing good or useful to say, then it's better if you don't say anything at all!  
 _"Oh! But I do know something that may be useful to you!"_  
Scath did a furious groan as he spoke - IT'S BEEN WEEKS AND SUDDENLY YOU KNOW SOMETHING?!  
 _"Hum? No, I've always known where your precious Ramie was!"_  
Scath stared in a random point in awe - What?! Why didn't you ever tell me?!  
The spirit just shrugged mockingly while laughing _"You never even bothered to ask me, so why would I have to tell you anything, hum? You would ignore me anyway, I know I'm not nice."_  
With a deep sigh, Scath got up from the ground, walking as if dragging his heavy body  
\- Shadow... I hate you... I despise you... I LOATHE you with all my heart and soul! - He shouted, as the last words echoed through the forest alone.  
 _"And I love you too, my dearest, most beloved body, Scath!"_  
This made the tall maren groan, his blue cheeks, steaming purple with rage, why did he even have to be together with such a loathsome creature like Shadow?! He absolutely hated his own species and would give anything to be something else. It wasn't like he couldn't do it, since Shadow Nightmaren were shape shifters after all, but it wasn't quite the kind of changing that he sought for.  
 _"So! You want to know where precious Rams is?"_  
\- This better not be one of your abhorrent plans... Tell me where she is then! - He heard childish giggles in his mind as the shadow felt to be dancing cheerfully, then with a dark mumble he just whispered _"You forgot to say please..."_  
Shadow sacrificed part of his life force for Scath, both trading bodies and hours later they ended up somewhere in the middle of nothing, making the blue maren start to lose, not only his hope, but his patience as Shadow guided him to some abandoned ruins, however the thick fog made it almost impossible to see anything ahead of your own feet.  
 _"Strange... Why would Ram go somewhere like this?"_ Shadow asked mockingly.  
\- Do you even KNOW where we are?! Or did you just fly randomly until you got here?! It's impossible to see anything in here! It's too bright! - Scath complained in Shadow's mind.  
Shadow Nightmaren were meant to be "shadows" after all, and most of them were nocturne, so the bright lights and nowhere to hide felt nothing but unpleasant to their frail eyes.  
 _"My senses are telling me that she's here, so stop complaining."_ the shadow said, looking around, hovering as he flew around, suddenly facing what seemed to be a large door, just standing there.  
It appeared to be old as if it hadn't been opened for hundreds of years, gathering dust with some dry ivy stalks around it. Shadow didn't say anything, just grinning widely _"Oh... This explains a lot..."_ he said with a hushed tone, which scared Scath.  
He knew that every time Shadow's voice would get that low and hoarse, there was something that he was hiding and would not tell.  
\- What's wrong...? - Scath said with a pause - What's with the door...? - He knew Shadow could feel his fear but he couldn't help getting a bad vibe coming from that mysterious door.  
The Shadow Nightmaren just laughed loudly _"IT'S A DOOR! YES THIS IS PERFECT! SO VERY PERFECT! OH RAMEL WHAT HAVE YOU GOTTEN INTO?!"_ his voice had a hint of insanity, giving Scath the shivers.  
\- I don't get it! What did she get into this tim-! - He was suddenly interrupted by Shadow who just whispered _"We'll be free...!"_ he started flying close to the door, but as his hand reached for the door knob, Scath took control of the arm alone, pulling it away.  
\- Idiot! You don't know what's in there! Do you want to get us both killed?! - Scath shouted in his mind, making Shadow smirk in amusement.  
 _"Scathie... It's time! And you know I can NEVER die, so we'll be fine!"_  
Scath remained hesitant, he would never trust Shadow much, but he trusted his instincts, and if he said that Ramel was near by, maybe for once he was being honest.  
 _"Lets just hope this doesn't hurt much!"_ He said with a mocking tone, suddenly getting back the control from the right arm and quickly opening the door and getting inside, giving Scath no time to think.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI - Alone**  
It all happened so quickly, and as if he had millions of needles stabbing his head, Scath felt himself faint, and after what seemed to be like a short forever, he woke up from his trance, looking around weakly. He was in the middle of a field, with tall grass and light breeze passing by. He sighed, rubbing his head. it was almost like he had some sort of an headache mixed with emptiness, even after getting up.  
\- Shadow, do you mind explain what just happened and where are we now?! I told you this wasn't a good idea!  
...Nothing. The other maren's voice could not be heard, was he still fainted? Could he even faint? Various questions rushed through his head, yet the feeling of emptiness remained... Wait. Emptiness...? Could it mean...?  
He started having flashbacks of what the maren had said before they got in...  
 _"We'll be free"  
"It's time!"_  
And...  
 _"I hope this doesn't hurt"_  
He knew what he was doing... Could it be... That the door had some sort of magic properties that could break the Shadow Nightmaren's bond?  
That door... He looked back in search of the door that had brought them both into that field, but it was nowhere to be seen.  
Great... Just great! Lost and alone seemed to be the most convenient combination at the moment. Scath searched with his gaze for anything away from the normal and noticed a small forest nearby, quickly rushing to it. The tall grass just felt so uncomfortable, itching all over his body, and Scath wasn't in the mood to take any more of it. He suddenly stopped as soon as he noticed something dark on the ground a few meters in front of him. In the distance it was similar to a strange blue rug spread on the floor, but as he got closer he noticed they were in fact... Roses...! Dark blue had never seen any in that shade, but things in his life could not get any weird so he hardly got surprised.  
He picked one up but it started to melt in his hand, scaring him and making him quickly throw it at the ground where it kept melting until it became  
a bright dark blue liquid, disappearing as it entered the ground. He stared silent at it, shaking his head, imagining Shadow's reaction which would probably be loud cackling. Maybe things could still get weird... He remained distant from the roses, gazing hesitant at the forest, wondering about what surprises awaited him inside.  
If Shadow was with him, he'd say something like "Go on, it looks FINE!" when it wasn't fine at all! But where else could he go? What other choices did he have? He noticed a path going through the forest way inside. That just had to lead somewhere, right?  
He stepped in. Aware of all the possible troubles he was subjecting himself to. But to find Ramel and Shadow, he couldn't just stand there mourning for his loss, he just had to take action. Surprisingly, the forest appeared to be rather calm despise it's dark and eerie feel on it. Although he was alone, Scath had the feeling of being watched, but he simply shrugged it off. Shadow used to watch his every step all the time, so it wasn't anything that he wasn't used  
to.  
He walked for what seemed to be like forever, yet the forest remained the same. Was he even getting anywhere in that place?! He stopped to rest for a while and sighed. There was no hope of him finding Ramel or Shadow in that place. He just felt so lost in that nowhere, staring down at the dull grass in front of him. It had such a peculiar colour, and it looked so dry to him, no wonder! The dirt was all grainy mixed with what seemed to be... sand...? A bright golden sand... the very same sand that would fall from Ramel's hair wherever she went...!  
A glimpse of hope appeared on his eyes as he saw this, she just had to be nearby! He followed the sand with his eyes until he noticed a hidden trail that went deeper into the it be that they were heading the same way? He started to walk through where the sand went, noticing the trees starting to open up to welcome most of the weak sunlight. The paths formed with the sand started to become thicker, did Ramel really lose that much hair? She could sumon sand so maybe that could be a reason, but it did not explain why. He soon arrived to what seemed to be a small white tent surrounded by sand in the middle of the forest, although he felt a bad vibe coming from it, he couldn't help but to be curious about it. It did seem like something that Ramel would do, but the whole setting just looked a bit odd. Urgh, where was Shadow when he actually needed him?!  
He sighed and quietly looked around, then silently walked towards the tent feeling threatned as the contrast from his cobalt blue skin in the bright sand quickly spoiled his position.  
After gathering some courage and preparing to flee at the most threathning sound, he just peeked inside the tent, unsure of what to expect, but for his surprise, the tent was empty, having nothing but personal objects that weren't the slightest relevant.  
\- Are you looking for something? - Scath gasped as he heard a familiar voice from behind, was it Ramel? It had to be! He quickly gazed at the scource of the voice but quickly frowned with what he saw. It wasn't Ramel, but from the looks of it, it could only be her twin of some sort.  
A tall girl gazed at him, the same glaring gaze that Ramel had, sand blonde and dark tan skin with two fiery orange eyes, but instead of the brown Nightmaren hat, she had her long hair flowing free while wearing a white and golden egyptian styled dress. But what disturbed him the most was the lack of bandages on her arms and legs, being litterally bone and dry dead meat, he didn't wonder how her bony legs and feet were able to carry her heavy body, but now he knew why Ramel would always refuse to remove her bandages whenever she wasn't alone. Although the resemblance between the two was extremely uncanny, one last detail caught the Shadow Nightmaren's attention... This girl had horns.  
Two tall large horns on top of her head in a light brownish colour. He had never noticed Ramel's lack of horns despise being a common Nightmaren trait but suddenly everything made sense to him as he stared quietly at her. The girl coughed a bit and spoke with a more firm tone - Can you please reply to my question?  
Scath kept staring at her until he spoke - You're not Ramel, are you?  
The girl stared confused in reply - Rah... mel? I'm afraid  
not... Who is this "Ramel" that you speak of?  
She didn't know...? They had to be related in any way, didn't they? He kept a neutral yet suspicious look as he just muttered under his breath - Who are you...?  
The girl raised an eyebrow, confused by this question - It should be me asking that question.  
He sighed and nodded - I seem to have lost two friends of mine somewhere around this place. My Shadow Nightmaren counterpart and a girl whose name is Ramel. - he said as he glared at her while she appeared to have no reaction to it  
\- Shadow... counterpart? How so?  
\- Me and him got separated and I can't find him.  
\- How did you get separated from him...?  
\- I woke up here and he wasn't in my mind when I spoke to him.  
She remained with a neutral expression with her eyes just widening a bit - Oh... Well there are no such things as Shadow Nightmaren in the Mirror World... I see you as an impostor.A look of surprise filled the blue Nightmaren's features as he raised his hands in reply - Hold on there, I'm no impostor. Also... Mirror World? I've heard my shadow counterpart once rambling about something to do with a land of Mirrors... Is this it? He forced my body to spawn here so I have no idea of where I am.  
The girl glared at him, a glare so similar to Ramel's that it was almost uncanny while speaking rather firmly - There are no such things as Shadow Nightmaren in this world! Who are you?! - she asked as Scath noticed tiny sand tornados twirling around her bony feet.  
\- Scath ShadowDust. A Shadow Nightmaren whether you want to believe it or not. Why aren't Shadow Nightmaren allowed in this world?  
\- You must have misinterpreted me. It's not a matter of being allowed. Shadow Nightmaren of any kind just cannot exist in this world, they never could! And you... You expect me to believe that you are some newcomer who happens to be a Shadow Nightmaren? - The girl said after coughing a bit - You're just a liar...- She muttered under  
her breath as another coughing fit came to her as she lowered her head while he perfectly straight bangs covered her face.  
Scath couldn't help but to feel confused by all of this. Although the girl's intense coughing fit worried him, the lack of explanations for why his kind could not exist in that mysterious land left him in a state of utter curiosity. He remained motionless as he looked at the girl whose gaze seemed to mutter "What are you looking at?!" yet even so he asked with a neutral expression - May I know why we cannot exist within this world?  
The girl just glared at him as she tried to clear her throat and regain her breath and as she prepared to speak, a shocked look came to her and she suddenly ran inside her tent closing it while leaving Scath outside.  
\- Leave quickly! - She shouted from the inside. Scath felt confused by this but his doubts were soon cleared as he seemed to hear the sound of singing in the background, it sounded like a female voice, a bit squeaky, singing in a rather childish manner. He fled near some trees, hiding behind one of them as he kept his gaze on the tent and whoever was coming to visit the girl who was so similar to his dearest Ramel. He soon realized that he never got to ask this girl's name, but it wasn't too relevant now, was it?


End file.
